Handing a victory to Facebook, a divided federal appellate court has decided against hearing additional arguments challenging the company's $9.5 million Beacon settlement. The decision, issued Tuesday, leaves in place a prior ruling approving the deal, which calls for Facebook to fund a new privacy group. ...Read the whole story

Apple has agreed to settle a class-action lawsuit by providing at least $5 in iTunes credits to parents whose children ran up credit card charges by purchasing virtual currency for use in games they had downloaded. ...Read the whole story

In an attempt to stop data theft, Lotame has designed a feature in Crowd Control, its data management platform, to protect against unauthorized third-party tags collecting data from site visitors on Web pages. ...Read the whole story

"Mobile is the connective tissue in showrooming," says Anna Bager, VP and GM of the IAB's Mobile Marketing Center of Excellence. Shoppers are clearly showrooming when it comes to consumer electronics -- and the use of mobile phones in stores also leads to in-store sales. While 42% of people using their phones while shopping ultimately made their purchase online, a full 30% did so in the store. ...Read the whole story

Rather than Barack Obama or The New York Times' data diviner Nate Silver, the real winners of election 2012 were micro-targeted advertising and messaging. Micro-targeted ads accounted for $130 million to $200 million in spending during last year's presidential election. ...Read the whole story

Attempting to build on a lead-generation business nine years in the making, ReachLocal will roll out three products this year supporting local online commerce, along with a site where consumers can instantly book home improvement services. ...Read the whole story

'Variety,' the storied Hollywood trade publication, will cease publishing its daily print edition effective March 18. It will continue producing a weekly print magazine, with a new version set to debut March 26, while shifting daily reporting to its Web site. The pub is also getting rid of its online pay wall. ...Read the whole story